Our Freight Train Stopped In It's Tracks: COVID-19
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As all of you know, musicians everywhere have had their livelihood put into jeopardy due to COVID-19. Any restaurants, bars, live music venues, etc. have been banned from having more than 10 people in a group setting at a time. As you can imagine, we have taken a devastating blow as small business owners, as a band, and individually within our separate homes. We are considered “self-employed contract gig laborers” who are unable to provide our entertainment services - which, in result, depletes our income channels DRASTICALLY. With that said, it’s looking like anyone in the Arts & Entertainment industry right now is left with a world of questions & uncertainty....
For those of you who don't know us that well, Heather & I decided to open a small business/LLC two years ago, in which we have completely immersed ourselves. Our band is run professionally as a business, and we are hoping to launch our fully functional e-commerce store even though COVID-19 could potentially delay our first sales from happening for weeks...or worse, months. We have poured our hearts, souls & minds into building this brand...this company...this dream of ours to finally start working for ourselves one day.
Becoming a small business owner alongside my wife these last two years has completely shifted my perspective in every sense of the word. It has truly been the most ever-evolving, challenging, continuously educational, insanely frustrating and, BY FAR!!! .....
THE. MOST. REWARDING. JOINT. VENTURE. I. COULD. NEVER. HAVE. DREAMT. OF. ❤️
I, however, cannot go to sleep with a clear conscience at night accepting those as answers when it comes to well-being and peace of mind of my fellow bandmates, they are my brothers... ya know? I want my wife to not stress out as much over the financial effects this pandemic has caused. I have this feeling - this overwhelming “sense of duty,” like I HAVE TO step up & take on the responsibility of ensuring my partners in crime don’t have to spend FOREVER digging themselves out of this impossible situation. I'm not just worried about myself... I look at this band like they are MY family.
So, on behalf of our Small, Family-Owned, Women-Operated Business - I am saying that I could use your help in providing them with a shred of relief... and right now, we need all we can get.
If 33.333% (OR LESS!) of our followers on Facebook ALONE donated $5 per person, I have no doubt that I could have funds sent to everyone's accounts and contribute towards their expenses such as rent/mortgages/utilities/groceries, etc. Our small business just doesn't have the cash flow to still pay out income with all of our live, public shows being postponed or cancelled.
Now that the “Stay In Place/Home” orders have been issued (for the greater good), my band mates can’t come over to play a live streaming gig any time soon - or until further notice.
There are only 3 things in this life that I know to transcend ANY language barriers, differences in political views, and cultural divides:
1. Mathematics. No matter where you go, it remains constant.
2. Change. Everything changes sometime. Whether we like it or not.
3. MUSIC. Music is universal. It has more POWER than the “background noise” that doesn’t matter. Music is always critical at all points in time, but now.... It’s even MORE critical than ever. This is why I love being an artist... we can help create a live streaming “venue” that allows each of us to connect with others. It’s going to be the one thing that will get us through and out of this crisis we are in.
I am leaning on our band family, our support systems, our friends & family...and new followers of our band to help if you can. Heather and I will more than likely be streaming smaller, more intimate acoustic sets of music I will be working feverishly to learn on the guitar (please don't judge me TOO hard, I'm still learning how to play and I'm self-taught!) ❤️
Please know that with everything in me..from the bottom of my heart - even if you can't donate, I sincerely love you and appreciate each of you for taking the time to even read this. I will make you this promise: even though this has delayed the release of our single temporarily.... THERE IS NO STOPPING US! We WILL be back on track as soon as our communities recover and this virus disappears. Stay positive, lift one another up, pray for everyone affected by this, do your part to REMAIN HEALTHY & KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE, and focus on spending quality time with the ones you love most! Music will bring us through it! I love you guys!
ASHLEY #SmallBusinessRelief
For those of you who don't know us that well, Heather & I decided to open a small business/LLC two years ago, in which we have completely immersed ourselves. Our band is run professionally as a business, and we are hoping to launch our fully functional e-commerce store even though COVID-19 could potentially delay our first sales from happening for weeks...or worse, months. We have poured our hearts, souls & minds into building this brand...this company...this dream of ours to finally start working for ourselves one day.
Becoming a small business owner alongside my wife these last two years has completely shifted my perspective in every sense of the word. It has truly been the most ever-evolving, challenging, continuously educational, insanely frustrating and, BY FAR!!! .....
THE. MOST. REWARDING. JOINT. VENTURE. I. COULD. NEVER. HAVE. DREAMT. OF. ❤️
I, however, cannot go to sleep with a clear conscience at night accepting those as answers when it comes to well-being and peace of mind of my fellow bandmates, they are my brothers... ya know? I want my wife to not stress out as much over the financial effects this pandemic has caused. I have this feeling - this overwhelming “sense of duty,” like I HAVE TO step up & take on the responsibility of ensuring my partners in crime don’t have to spend FOREVER digging themselves out of this impossible situation. I'm not just worried about myself... I look at this band like they are MY family.
So, on behalf of our Small, Family-Owned, Women-Operated Business - I am saying that I could use your help in providing them with a shred of relief... and right now, we need all we can get.
If 33.333% (OR LESS!) of our followers on Facebook ALONE donated $5 per person, I have no doubt that I could have funds sent to everyone's accounts and contribute towards their expenses such as rent/mortgages/utilities/groceries, etc. Our small business just doesn't have the cash flow to still pay out income with all of our live, public shows being postponed or cancelled.
Now that the “Stay In Place/Home” orders have been issued (for the greater good), my band mates can’t come over to play a live streaming gig any time soon - or until further notice.
There are only 3 things in this life that I know to transcend ANY language barriers, differences in political views, and cultural divides:
1. Mathematics. No matter where you go, it remains constant.
2. Change. Everything changes sometime. Whether we like it or not.
3. MUSIC. Music is universal. It has more POWER than the “background noise” that doesn’t matter. Music is always critical at all points in time, but now.... It’s even MORE critical than ever. This is why I love being an artist... we can help create a live streaming “venue” that allows each of us to connect with others. It’s going to be the one thing that will get us through and out of this crisis we are in.
I am leaning on our band family, our support systems, our friends & family...and new followers of our band to help if you can. Heather and I will more than likely be streaming smaller, more intimate acoustic sets of music I will be working feverishly to learn on the guitar (please don't judge me TOO hard, I'm still learning how to play and I'm self-taught!) ❤️
Please know that with everything in me..from the bottom of my heart - even if you can't donate, I sincerely love you and appreciate each of you for taking the time to even read this. I will make you this promise: even though this has delayed the release of our single temporarily.... THERE IS NO STOPPING US! We WILL be back on track as soon as our communities recover and this virus disappears. Stay positive, lift one another up, pray for everyone affected by this, do your part to REMAIN HEALTHY & KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE, and focus on spending quality time with the ones you love most! Music will bring us through it! I love you guys!
ASHLEY #SmallBusinessRelief
Organizer
Ashley Hennessy
Organizer
Friendswood, TX
